A Republican-led House committee has expanded its investigation into anti-Semitism on college campuses to include another Ivy League university, according to a letter Monday.
Representative Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, said in a letter that the House Education and Labor Committee, including Columbia University, “has serious concerns about Columbia University's inadequate response to anti-Semitism.” He said he would expand the investigation. Mr. Fox requested documents from the university, including documentation of the school's response to disciplinary action against students who engaged in acts of discrimination. (Related: Donor who gave $300 million to Harvard University says he's 'not interested' in funding the university, questions 'DEI agenda')
“The Committee on Education and Workforce (Committee) is investigating Columbia University’s response to anti-Semitism and its failure to protect Jewish students. I have serious concerns about sufficiency,” Fox wrote in the letter.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 9: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) speaks during a post-meeting press conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 9, 2021 in Washington, DC (McNamee/Getty Images)
The university suspended campus chapters of Students for Palestine Justice and Jewish Voices for Peace in November after the groups held an “unauthorized” anti-Israel event.
“Amid increased scrutiny over the prevalence of anti-Semitism on campus in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, Columbia University announced on November 10, 2023, SJP and suspended the JVP, making them ineligible to hold events on campus. However, the university has repeatedly failed to enforce this decision, allowing these and other groups to commit unauthorized anti-Semitic acts. , have allowed anti-Israel events to take place with impunity,” the letter said.
Fox also requested documentation regarding the school's relationship with Qatar, foreign donations and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices at the university, according to the letter. He also requested documentation regarding universities encouraging faculty and students to join the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), which seeks divestment from Israel.
More than 300 faculty members at Columbia University and its affiliated school, Barnard College, signed a letter in November condemning “a spate of anti-Semitic incidents” on campus. In one incident, a former Columbia University student assaulted an Israeli student on campus in October after confronting the former student who was taking photos of Israeli hostages.
The committee began its investigation on Dec. 7, following a Dec. 5 hearing on anti-Semitism involving the presidents of Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). . Harvard University President Claudine Gay, Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth, and University of Pennsylvania President Liz McGill all said in public hearings that calling for the genocide of Jews violates the school's code of conduct. He declined to say whether he was there or not.
Columbia did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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